While originally the name was slotted was something far more sophisticated, it was nicknamed 'The Shank' and later it was decided this name would stick. It was designed in the second half of YE 40 by Galactic Horizon as their second alternate gauntlet weapon.

The Shank follows in the footsteps of its close cousin the Sonic Defender Gauntlet as the second gauntlet weapon designed for power armours. Unlike the Sonic Defender, however, the Shank is a physical melee weapon, specifically a collapsible monomolecular-edged sword.

Primarily designed as a close quarters option for larger power armours, it can easily be fitted to any power armour. Its light weight makes it easy to carry and does not require strength-enhanced soldiers or armours to wield. Unlike the Sonic Defender, this weapon does not require a major overhaul to the gauntlet portion itself and rather works as a bracer which can be attached to the forearm of any existing power armour.

General information, including the designer, manufacturer, basic information, and a nomenclature tag.

• Designer: Galactic Horizon
• Manufacturer: Galactic Horizon
• Name: The Shank Gauntlet
• Nomenclature: GH-M2-W4006
• Type: Blade
• Role: Melee
• Length: 1m¹⁾
• Mass: 7kg
• DRv3: Tier 4, Light Anti-Armor²⁾

The Shank is composed of the large blade housing and the forearm bracer. From the outside, the entire item resembles little more than a dull grey bracer with an equally dull grey box attached to it with a dull grey sword contained within.

The bracer is little more than an extra layer mounted to the existing PA arm with the required mounting point for the blade housing. It adds no real protection and is used almost solely for mounting the blade.

The blade housing is a long rectangular box about the length of the forearm which is mounted to the bracer; within the housing are the several sections of the complete blade along with a spring and winch mechanism.

General information about the discharge of the weapon, including details of visible and audible actions and effective ranges.

• Retort: An audible 'shink' as each section of the sword extends out.
• Blade Appearance: A meter-long blade split into several sections ending in a monomolecular point.
• Recoil: Slight backwards recoil when the mechanism is activated to extend the sword.

General descriptions about how the weapon functions and cycles.

• Firing Mechanism: When collapsed, the user must rapidly push their fist out from their body to engage a large mechanical spring system. To retract the blade the user must pull their fist towards their body to collapse the blade with the assistance of a small powered winch to wind up the spring system.
• Safety Mechanism: A metal pin is pushed from the top through the blade container, locking the pieces in place while they are collapsed.
• Weapon Sight: Swing your meaty fist rapidly to slice anything within a meter.

• Electromagnetic Blade: Available as an optional add-on, the Electromagnetic Blade is a small enclosed system attached to the base of the blade. This system applies an electromagnetic field to the blade to have a greater effect when attacking automated and powered enemies. Note that this does not have the same effect as an electromagnetic pulse and will not shut down systems completely but rather aims to send a power surge to whatever it comes into contact with.

General information about the pricing of ammo, attachments and replacement parts.

• The Shank Gauntlet: 1 000KS

• Spring System: 500KS
• Blade Components: 750KS

• Electromagnetic Blade: 750KS

club24 created this article on 2018/08/15 18:45; approved it (using the checklist) on 2018/08/21 08:25.